Ancient hunting camp found beneath Lake Huron

7:56 AM,
Apr. 29, 2014

A diver works with a remote-controlled vehicle to search the bottom of Lake Huron where researchers uncovered an ancient hunting ground. Some 9,000 years ago when this part of the lake had a land bridge, early hunters fashioned stones and walls to funnel migrating caribou into a spot where they could be hunted more easily.

Written by

Traci Watson
Special for USA TODAY

Deep below the surface of Lake Huron, scuba-diving researchers have found an elaborate network of hunting blinds and animal-herding structures dating back roughly 9,000 years.

Lake levels of the day were some 250 feet lower, exposing a narrow bridge of land running from one side of Huron to the other. Prehistoric people evidently thought this isthmus was a perfect place to intercept caribou on their seasonal migrations. The hunting site they built, now inundated, opens a window onto prehistoric America and provides valuable evidence in a region where such artifacts are practically ...